Present: Scott Pettigrew, Tim Smyth, Bob Coogan, Linda Comstock, Ann Leech, Dustin Nanna, Aarica Burwell (7 of 7 quorum is 5 of 7)

Transcription

1 Present: Scott Pettigrew, Tim Smyth, Bob Coogan, Linda Comstock, Ann Leech, Dustin Nanna, Aarica Burwell (7 of 7 quorum is 5 of 7) Also present: Homer Taft, Tricia Sprankle, Harold Thomas, Helen Gilson, Ken Moellman, Travis Irvine I. CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Pettigrew called the meeting to order at 11:04 AM. The Secretary confirmed that a quorum was present. II. III. IV. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Mr. Smyth disclosed that his wife is the Treasurer of the LPO Central Committee. Mr. Nanna disclosed that he has been active with LPN Ballot Access Committee. Ms. Sprankle disclosed that she has represented Bob Bridges. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Ms. Leech made a motion to accept the agenda as presented. Ms. Burwell seconded, and the motion passed with no objection. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes for the January 6, 2018 Executive Committee meeting had been sent out prior to this meeting. The minutes as presented were approved with no objections. The document is available on the website. V. BUSINESS CONDUCTED BETWEEN MEETINGS: A. A resolution requesting the removal of Arvin Vohra from the LNC passed with a 6-0 vote on 1/12/2018. B. The motion to approve renting a Post Office box passed 7-0 on 1/26/2018. VI. OFFICER REPORTS, ACTIVITY UPDATES & COMMENTS A. Chair Report Mr. Pettigrew welcomed all to the new LPO Headquarters. He reported that he has been working to get internet into the office and thanked those who have helped. AT&T s order did not match the services requested, and they failed to show up for the installation appointment. We have reached out to Spectrum. He also reported that there has been much activity around the Convention and Committees. B. Vice Chair Report: 1. Mr. Nanna reported that he was contacted by the Northwest Ohio Conservation Coalition, who (in conjunction with the Toledo Tea Party) is hosting a dinner on March 26, and asked if the LPO is interested in buying a table. He explained that these Republicans are upset with the Republican candidates for Governor, and he thought that this might be a good opportunity for LPO candidates to gain support. The cost is $40 per person and $380 per table. Several in attendance expressed some interest in attending. 2. The LPN Platform Committee may meet in Columbus at the same time as the Franklin County convention (April 7). Mr. Thomas mentioned the Franklin 1

2 County convention will include speakers, educational sessions and Central Committee voting. The cost is $20 per person and all are invited. C. Secretary Report Mr. Coogan had nothing to report. D. At Large Report None. E. Treasurer Report: 1. Ms. Comstock reminded ExComm that her full report is on Basecamp and Google Docs. She reviewed the summary of the current Treasurer s report: a. As of January 31, net income was $ for the month. b. The US Bank balance at 02/23/18 was $5, Of this amount, $2, is from 2018 Convention registrations. 2. LPN is not matching ballot access donations. Mr. Nanna said that the LPN has committed an additional $30,000 in lieu of matching. VII. OLD BUSINESS A. Ballot Drive Status: 1. Mr. Nanna reported that we are at approximately 51,000 valid signatures on 80,000 raw. 2. Mr. Nanna said that production has been slow. He has spoken with the vendor (SMI), and we are looking into linking in with a state-wide marijuana petition drive. In particular, we could piggy-back on SMI s efforts in Franklin County. 3. Mr. Moellman said that we need over 3,000 valid signatures (over 5,000 raw). B. Central Committee Elections; 1. Mr. Smyth has included election status details with his Field Development report (agenda item IX.D). 2. Mr. Pettigrew reported that he has found an open source voting app (opavote.com), which costs $0-$10 per election depending on volume. C. Sustaining Member Promotion - Mr. Smyth reported that there has been no progress to date due to focusing on the CentCom elections. D Convention 1. Mr. Taft is trying to recruit one more speaker. He is reaching out to Reason, Cato and Mises regarding speakers and exhibitors. 2. There are 32 room nights reserved (16 of them for committed speakers). 3. Mr. Nanna suggested LPN Chair candidates, such as Joshua Smith, Adam Kokesh and Alicia Dearn as possible speaker(s). Mr. Pettigrew offered to reach out to Ms. Dearn. 4. Mr. Taft expressed concern about LPO paying the way for LNC candidates as being a possible conflict of interest. Mr. Pettigrew suggested offering only free access to the Convention. Mr. Nanna suggested paying for those who agree to come to the Convention. Ms. Leech suggested that we pay for Chair candidates but not others, unless they are conducting seminars. 5. Mr. Smyth pointed out that such payment decisions are made by the Convention Chair/Committee, not ExComm. 2

3 6. Mr. Taft asked for suggestions for sponsorships/booths, etc. He is suggesting $35 per table. 7. Mr. Taft reported that 47 people are registered and 19 have paid. Break-even is approximately Mr. Taft is considering handing out tee-shirts to attendees. Ms. Burwell reminded the Committee that she has business connections that can help with hand-outs or tee-shirt sales. E. Other Old Business There was no other old business. The Chair called for a 15 minute break (12:02 to 12:17), VIII. NEW BUSINESS A. Ratification of Directive In advance of the ExComm meeting, Mr. Pettigrew had distributed the draft of Directive , regarding use of the Headquarters facilities via the scheduling feature in Basecamp. 2. Mr. Smyth made a motion to ratify the Directive. Mr. Nanna seconded, and the motion passed 7-0. B. Event Schedule for LPO Office-warming Social. a. There was discussion regarding possible dates 3/17 in conjunction with an ExComm meeting; after the LPO Convention; some other time. 3/17 was focused on. b. Mr. Nanna moved to hold the LPO Office-warming Social at the LPO office on 3/17 at a time to be determined. Mr. Smyth seconded, and the motion passed LPO Convention 5/18 5/20 3. LP Signature turn-in must be done by 7/1/2018 a. Mr. Pettigrew suggested a turn-in party. b. Mr. Nanna and Mr. Taft suggested that the turn-in occur before the Convention so that candidates can ask for signatures at the Convention. c. There was discussion regarding the best date and time in early May and regarding turning in at least one box per county. d. Mr. Smyth moved that the signed petitions be turned in on Friday 5/18 at a time to be determined. Mr. Nanna seconded, and the motion passed with a 7-0 vote. e. Mr. Taft suggested that we set a target date of early May for petitions to be turned in to the LPO Office. 4. LP Convention 6/30 7/4. 5. LPO Slate of Candidates must be between 8/4 and 8/22. a. Aaron Harris, Steve Linnebary, Scott Pettigrew, Tricia Sprankle, and John Fockler will certify and turn-in the slate of LPO candidates to the Secretary of State. b. Discussion followed regarding the turn-in of the slate of candidates. All agreed that no motion or resolution from ExComm was needed, as 3

4 the Committee of Five will coordinate all necessary steps to certify and deliver the slate. 6. LPO Picnic a. Mr. Taft suggested that picnics be held at multiple locations around the state in order to attract more attendance. b. Mr. Nanna moved to establish a committee of three to five members, selected by ExComm, to handle LPO Picnic related activities. Ms. Burwell seconded, and the motion passed 7-0. c. Mr. Moellman suggested that ExComm appoint a Picnic Committee Chair, who would identify other members of the Committee. d. Mr. Nanna offered to help out. e. Mr. Pettigrew moved to appoint Mr. Nanna as a member of the Picnic Committee. Mr. Smyth seconded, and the motion passed Marketing Campaigns. Mr. Smyth coordinated the discussion on the items targeted for promotions. a. Mr. Thomas said that we need to find a way for counties to raise funds without interfering with Mr. Taft s Finance Division fund raising efforts. b. Ms. Leech suggested incorporating a campaign emphasis in organizing county/regional picnics/activities. c. Mr. Nanna expressed concern about promoting candidates before they are officially declared. d. Mr. Smyth said that we should get the 3/17 Office-warming date in the More in the Know as soon as possible. e. There was significant discussion regarding voter eligibility to sign candidates petitions; in particular, regarding the definition of Party affiliation. For state-level candidates, petition signers cannot have voted in a D, R or G primary election starting with the 2016 primary. C. Travis Irvine presentation 1. Mr. Irvine presented information in support of his candidacy for Governor. a. His prior campaign experience includes mayoral and congressional races. He is setting up his schedule in order to be able to campaign full-time. b. He has been part of the LP movement since c. He is a graduate of Columbia s School of Journalism, and he brings video/communications/small business expertise his campaign. d. He worked on the Gary Johnson 2012 and 2016 campaigns, opening for him at multiple venues. 2. Mr. Smyth asked Mr. Irvine to identify the three major issues for his campaign. Mr. Irvine identified a. Criminal justice reform b. Tax reform (especially for small businesses) c. Marijuana legalization 3. Mr. Moellman is currently functioning as Campaign Manager. He is targeting mentoring a replacement and bringing in new LPO members. 4. The campaign s website is 4

5 5. Mr. Taft suggested that Mr. Irvine include the issues of regulations and education choice in his campaign. D. IT Future 1. Mr. Smyth pointed out that we need to look at NationBuilder and alternatives and at Mailchimp (per Mr. Nanna, Mailchimp costs are down to $10 for the month of February). 2. Mr. Moellman mentioned that, regarding NationBuilder and , we should be cleaning up the lists. 3. Mr. Taft mentioned that anyone who opts out of receiving NB s takes the individual out of NationBuilder contact information sources. 4. Mr. Pettigrew reported that he will let Mr. Alon know that he is being asked to back away from the IT Director role and just be a member of the IT team. 5. Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Moellman reviewed the status of LPO applications and plans. There was a recess for lunch at 1:55. The meeting was called back to order at 2:25. E. Other New Business several Budget changes were covered. 1. Ballot Access Mr. Nanna moved to add $10,000 for ballot access to the 2018 Budget. Ms. Burwell seconded, and discussion followed. Ms. Leech pointed out that a budget amount was needed in order to timely issue payment checks (vs. requiring a separate authorization for each payment). The motion passed Political Division - Mr. Nanna made a motion to move $200 to the Political Division budget from the Communications budget. Ms. Comstock seconded. Mr. Smyth pointed out that the $700 that would be remaining in the Communications budget might not be enough. The motion passed 7-0, 3. Awards, Conference, Convention budget line items Mr. Nanna moved to accept the budget line item amounts for Annual Awards, 2019 Conference and 2018 Convention as specified on the February 23 Treasurer s Report. Mr. Smyth seconded and the motion passed with a voice vote Convention-specific Mr. Nanna brought up a possible motion to reconsider the motion passed in item #3 because it appeared to limit the funds available to spend on the 2018 Convention. Instead, however, he moved to strike the $500 budget item for the 2018 Convention. Ms. Burwell seconded and the vote passed 7-0. Mr. Coogan followed with a motion to authorize Convention expense payments up to the amount of registration fees collected plus $500. Ms. Comstock seconded and the motion passed Mr. Nanna moved to remove the $4,000 Reserve line item from the Budget. Mr. Smyth seconded. Mr. Pettigrew commented that this motion is not an intent to strike the reserve from the LPO fiscal policy. The motion passed 7-0. NOTE: These budget changes produced a net increase of $6,000 to the 2018 Budget. 5

6 IX. DIVISION REPORTS A. Political Division Ms. Sprankle s detailed report is included in Basecamp. 1. Legislature Ms. Sprankle mentioned HB-86 to raise minimum wage to $10, and the Resolution to call for a Convention of States. 2. A current list of LPO candidates can be found in NationBuilder. 3. The required actions of the Committee to Form a Minority Party were discussed earlier. 4. Discussions of other proposed legislation is provided at legiscan.com/ohio. 5. Ms. Sprankle spoke at Wittenburg University. She encouraged more presentations on campuses. 6. Mr. Nanna suggested that we consider having a registered lobbyist. 7. Mr. Taft suggested that not enough time is allocated for training at the Convention and that we may need a full day devoted to training. B. IT Division Report There was no specific IT Division report. Mr. Moellman noted that previous comments covered the current status. 1. Mr. Moellman reminded the group that the IT trouble reporting site is IThelpdesk@LPO.org. 2. Mr. Pettigrew recommended that Mr. Moellman serve as interim IT Director. There were no objections. 3. Mr. Moellman commented that he wants to do a security audit of NationBuilder. 4. Mr. Moellman will provide the data that Mr. Taft is requesting for communicating with potential donors. C. Communications Mr. Nanna reported. 1. Social Media we would like to participate in a share for share program with other social media. 2. We will do More in the Know packets and blog-post content. 3. Members should like and share LPO posts. D. Field Development Mr. Smyth provided a handout that is included in Basecamp. 1. Mr. Pettigrew confirmed as CDCs Patrick Glasgow (Knox County) and Michael Zuchowski (Fulton County). There were no objections from ExComm members. 2. Mr. Nanna expressed concern regarding the eligibility of voters in the LPO primary elections; they can lie about their prior voting records. Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Taft responded that there is not a concern since the LPO has its own primary rules and CentCom can address internally if someone is found to violate election rules. E. Finance Division Mr. Taft s reported, provided a handout and passed around samples of LPO stationery. 1. Mr. Taft reviewed the $3,581 estimate from Midwest Direct for sending out 6,000 items for the CentCom elections. 2. Mr. Taft is planning second and third waves of mailings similar in cost and volume to the initial wave. 3. Ms. Leech moved to authorize spending $3,600 for the initial mailing (before 3/10/18) provided the account balance does not fall below $1,000. Mr. Nanna seconded and the motion passed

7 4. There was discussion regarding a second motion to allow Mr. Taft to send a second mailing if the first one raises $3,600. No motion was made. 5. Mr. Taft referenced his list of the planned activities of all Divisions to identify the fund-raising needs of the LPO. X. NationBuilder Basics Presentation Mr. Pettigrew moved to amend the agenda to adjourn the meeting, then have the presentation. Mr. Coogan seconded and the motion passed 7-0. XI. NEXT MEETING: A. The next meeting of the Executive Committee will be Saturday, March 17, 2018 at 11:00 AM at LPO Headquarters, 6230 Busch Boulevard, Suite 102. Mr. Pettigrew made the motion regarding scheduling the meeting. Mr. Nanna seconded and it passed with no objections. 7